The House among the Roses 2 1925

This is Monet, making a painting of his house, probably with oils. Look at the way he's used these stabs of paint, especially the greens and oranges, so that they dissolve the architecture into this explosion of roses! It’s like he’s built a world where nature is slowly taking over. I’m thinking of him outside, in the garden, trying to capture the light as it moves and changes; the challenge of trying to get paint to do this. I can imagine him, squinting in the sun. These little dashes communicate an interest in movement and change. It reminds me of Constable, or even some of Turner's later experiments. But there’s something so personal and intimate here. And then, suddenly, the light shifts, and the roses turn brown. Anyway, these artists are all in conversation, right? It's an ongoing thing, they’re feeding each other’s creativity.